Aims 5000 watt inverter troubleshooting

My aims 5000 watt inverter is showing that it is pulling more amps than it should on the display. For example an 8 amp dryer is pulling about 180 amps whereas it should not even be registering on the display at all. What would cause this?

1 Answer

The amp meter on this unit measures the battery current. So if you have an 8 amp load at 120 vac you will draw more than 80 amps at 12 volts and 40 amps at 24 volts. While this may not explain the 180 amps that you are seeing -- it's possible that the dryer is drawing more than 8 amps.

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dear see that :
1- the range of voltage which inverter work between it for example 180-260 v
2- most small generator voltage reach more than 260V so the inveter not work
3-check the frequency of genaratoer if it not fix the inverter will mot work

The correct size of inverter is an easy calculation and important to ensure long life from the inverter and the life of the appliances getting there power from the inverter. To calculate you take the volts and multiply by the amps which equals the wattage. Every appliance has a tag which must state the volts and amps. Locate the tag to find the information. Here is an example.

You now add all the watts together, since the above list could likely be running at the same time. There is a combine wattage of 1431.6 watts. In this example you would need at least a 1500 watt inverter. However given some unknown variables personally I would get a 2500 watt inverter. Less stress on the inverter, will lengthen the life of the inverter. Had the total been 1,000 watts a 1,500 watt inverter would suffice.

You must also remember that your alternator on your vehicle must be able to keep up with the power demand of not only your vehicle needs but your inverter needs as well.

Assuming the output is 120VAC, you can only run items pulling about 4 amps. If the voltage output is 220 VAC, you can only run items pulling about 2.25 amps. Read the labels on the devices you want to use, they should list either watts or amps used.

To convert amps to watts: Current times voltageTo convert watts to amps: Watts divided by voltage

Let us look at the math. 1250 watts at 120 volts is w=va Watts equals volts times amps. Or in this case 1250 divided by 120 volts = 10.41 amps. But what is the 12 volt side capable of drawing. 1250 watts divided by 12 volts. 104.10 amps. This is more than what the average cigarette lighter or power port can provide. So, yes you need to connect directly to the battery, you can use a relay rated for 100 A in between the inverter and battery to control the power to the inverter. I would use a good #2 copper welding cable for the power leads. Now, if you are not planning on using the whole 1250 watts, then you can use a #4 welding cable (it is very flexible) for power leads.
JOE

A 5000 wat inverter is very large. Your alternator could not supply it alone without the batteries. The moderate to low usage is the key. Calculate the wattage of the load you want to connect. Depending on what else you're doing with the truck, lights, heater, air condition etc, you could probably draw somewhere between 1,0000-1500 watts on that alternator. Rember even if your alternator is rated for 150amps (large alt) it is not a 100% duty cycle. Alternators are usually around 50% duty cycle, so figure about 75amps continuous, or around 900 watts. That's considerably less than your 5,000 watt inverter. Buy a generator.

a very thick one,,,like a baby battery lead on your car,,,its a very bad idear to have it so far away from the battery point, you would be far better off finding a closer place to put it as the volts drop off would have a big drop in out put on the inverter,,,also thats one big mother of a fridge to use 3000 watts????
you need a small power station to run it,,and if it do use 3000 watts your inverter is far to small to do the job, read the out put plate on the inverter,,it says 3000 watts max? not all the time,,,,thats about 2000 watts realy running contently and the whire to feed the inverter will need to carry about 30 amps so your car battery is say 90 amp hours plus the volts drop off, you would be lucky to have the inverter running for 3-4 hours before your battery go's is very flat on you!

Your inverter has a peak of 3000 watts rating and should power that hair dryer. Make sure your batteries are in good shape. The inverter can only put out what it takes in. 1800 watt demand on the inverter requires 1800 watts from the batteries.